Recent content by jessox80

If you do not want to taste or smell moldy basement, yes, they should be dry. Or you could freeze them.

I noticed that my hops seem to develop some better flavors as they age after harvest. I experimented with freezing, basement storage and aging and found that the hops that were aged and stored in a cool basement were by far more aromatic than those used fresh or those stored in the freezer. Once...

Hold a cone with two hands and pull apart- does the cone cleave evenly and completely? When squeezing a cone on the bine does it immediately spring back into shape? If so, it's likely ready, but 1st year hops may not have as much magical fairy dust as an established plant.

I'm looking to save some money while stepping up to 10 gallon all-grain batches. My washed yeast looks great (just like I would get in a vial), but I have never done a starter before. I would love any tips and was wondering if I can just put the DME/boiled & cooled water into the mason jars that...

Use a very weak dilution of cayenne, soap & water.

The fuzz may have been from wooly aphids; google image them. They would be kind of cool if they weren't trying to feast on my young.

+1. The rats nest at the top of my trellis is where the money was for me last year.

A short-term fix would be a veerrrrryyy weak solution of 1 part soap, 1 part cayenne to 15-20 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray one leaf first to make sure it doesn't fry your baby and don't apply during full sun. As far as long term, I recall reading about a chemical attractant one could...

Trimmed the low gals & training the rest. Thanks B-Hoppy, you are the man!

"Focusing the energy" is, I think, used to promote cone production. From what I understand, the primary focus of growing 1st year hops is root development, best facilitated by keeping the vast majority of, if not all bines (so based on a good deal of reading, popular opinion would be to go with...

My second-year newports are growing rapidly and have started to produce sidearms; The bines are over 8' and those arms at about 2' high are getting very long. Should I let these low gals grow or prune them? I already pruned some of the lower leaves to promote good airflow/prevent infestation at...

Very faint soap dilutions are fine; I spiked mine last year with cayenne and it worked on the first or second application. Just be careful about applying during full sun.

Patience. I planted a cutting and gave up after over 3 weeks of nothing. Now she's breaking ground in 3 spots. I do have to say that 8 or more "duds" seems extreme, so something must be awry... What was the source of the rhizomes & how were they handled? Was the soil too rich? Are you watering...

How many shoots do you plan on keeping total? I have two 2nd year Newports that did very well last year; for one plant I am keeping 5 bines, for the other, 8.

I think that a third year plant would be able to send up another round of shoots (especially with if you fertilize after cutting), but I am unfamiliar with your seasonal patterns. Would the newer bines still have a good growing season? How much earlier would you have cut if you'd had the...